agile, bmnt, business model, corporate innovation, customer development, diux, dod, h4d, hacking for defense, lean, lean launchpad, lean startup, nsa, stanford, steve blank

1. Right of Boom
[After EOD]
Problem Sponsor: Joint Improvised Threat-Defeat
Agency (JIDA)
US Army & US Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal
US Central Command
DIUx
Booz Allen Hamilton
We seek to advance JIDA’s
mission of countering
improvised threats by
developing systems,
deployment strategies, and
incentives for allied foreign
militaries with the goal of
improved intelligence
fidelity.
We seek to create a live
tactical threat toolkit to
enable real-time advice
from US Explosive
Ordnance Officers for the
defeat of improvised
explosive devices by
partner and coalition
forces.
124
Total
Interviews

2. Who we talked to

3. Andreas
Pavlou
Nitish
Kulkarni Alex Zaheer Alex Richard
Gaurav
Sharma
Academic
Program MA IPS 2017
Physics 2015
ME 2016 CS 2019 CS 2016 GSB MSx
Subject Matter
Expert? No
(Software
/Project
Management)
No
(Sensor
Fusion,
Systems
Integration)
Yes
(Software
Engineering)
Yes
(Software
Engineering)
Yes
(Military
Information
Logistics)
Role Jack of All
Trades
Hardware
Engineering
SWE SWE PM
Team

4. The Emotional Journey
Don’t
understand
the problem:
Frustration
Conception of
problem
evolves:
Excitement
Key
organizational
insights: Hope
Recommendations
and future plans:
Satisfaction
Are we relevant?
Despair

5. DARPA PCAS
Team -
modifying
existing
systems
Joint Improvised Threat
Defeat Agency - work with
technicians who deal with
problem day-in day-out
General Atomics, Raytheon
- contractors already working
in this space may be able to
provide key insight
ARMY Research Lab
NAVEODTECHDIV
ARMY Asymmetric Warfare
Group
Usability-
ensuring system
is applicable to
every forward
deployment and
tactical situation
Bridging Gaps
– enabling real
time dialogue
between US
and host
nation EOD
Personnel-centered -
creating a system designed
around those who need it
most
Integrated - creating a tool
that is an aid, not a hindrance,
to time-critical operations
Engineers -
contractor/DARPA
employees may provide
technical insight
Technicians -
connections to those
who need this product
most
Embedded operations
need support from
those who need product
Translation experts -
those who do job
already
Iterate - Multiple simulated
field test scenarios with
technicians to fit product to
need
Incorporation - product
has many possible futures -
can potentially be
incorporated into other
DoD product needs
Primary - JIDA, EOD
specialists in recurring
forward deployment
operations across
systems
Secondary - Military
remote technical
communications
wings. Software can
be co-opted for many
different
communications
missions
Fixed: Variable:
Software development optimization
IT Management/maintenance
Deployment training
Mission Achievement Criteria
Enable clear, safe, common-sense
communication of time-sensitive high-
stress technical information
Real-time IED Defeat Assistance for Coalition
and Remote Forces: Week 1
Mission Model Canvas

6. Week 1: Launch Point
Hypothesis:
• Build a Live Tactical
Toolkit digital notebook
for differently located
coalition & US forces to
address diffusing remote
IED (Improvised Explosive
Device)
Experiments:
• Interviewed 14
stakeholders including
end users, planners,
solution providers, and
procurement teams
• Ascertained organization
structure and its relation
to JIDA

7. Week 1: Live Tactical Threat Toolkit
Value Proposition Canvas for Host
Nation Explosive Ordnance Disposal
Products
& Services
Live Tactical
Threat Toolkit
linking US and
Host Nation
EOD forces
- Timely and refined intelligence on
IEDs and the tactics of insurgents
using them
- Real-time advice from US forces on
how to defeat IEDs Customer
Jobs
Assess and
defeat IEDs
Lack of
information on
IEDs utilized by
insurgents and
their tactics
Host Nation
Explosive Ordnance
Disposal Teams
Gains
Pains
Gain
Creators
Pain
Relievers
-Less people dying
-Improved counter-IED
capability
- Reduction of communication
barrier with base-deployed
US forces
- Less likely to encounter IEDs
without being forewarned

8. Week 2: Needed to Get Out of the
Building
• Conducted 17 interviews
but none of them were
with end-users; failing to
adhere to methodology
•Frustration as we
struggled to find EOD
officers
•Excitement as we finally
managed to meet EOD
units

9. Week 2/3: Our Initial LTTT MVP

10. Week 3: Anticipated Customer Workflow
Partner military unit
encounters IED
Link to EOD expert using
LTTT initiated: video
feed/or minimal
workflow depending on
connectivity
IED data logged
Report sent to
JIDA
IED diagnosis
and EOD
process
leveraging US
expertise
Resolution
JIDA analyzes
data and
distributes
intelligence as
incentive for
use

11. Week 3: LTTT Invalidated
“The last thing I’d want while defusing a bomb is a voice in my ear telling me
what to do.”
– EOD Staff Sergeant discussing reluctance to receive advice through LTTT
“That’s what robots are for. We can’t do that with human lives. I can’t
imagine me feeling comfortable from 50 kilometers telling someone to cut
some wire. That’s scary proposition.”
– Deployed EOD 1st Sergeant discussing discomfort with advisory role of
LTTT
We received a new problem
statement from our sponsor that
stated the real problem was
ensuring sufficient intelligence
collection for post-blast analytics.

12. Products
& Services
-Higher-fidelity
post-incident
EOD analytics
and
reporting
-Higher-
accuracy device
classification
and intelligence
- Gain and document intelligence from host-
nation security forces as they encounter IEDs
-Alignment of incentives between foreign EODs
and JIDA such that blast data is reported
-Bringing coalition forces into intelligence
umbrella
Customer
Jobs
-Analyze IED patterns
and provide
actionable intel
-Lack of information on
evolution of IED’s utilized
by insurgents and their
tactics
-Reduced ability to
provide actionable intel
due to lack of raw data
Gains
Pains
Gain
Creators
Pain
Relievers
-Accurate reporting data on IED usage
-Development of predictive models for
insurgent use of IEDs
- -Reduction of communication
barrier between US analysts and
host nation security forces in the
field
- -Transition from material
incentives to informational and
culturally oriented incentives,
allowing for more sustainable
cooperation
Week 3:
Value Proposition Canvas for
JIDA J2 (Intelligence)

13. Joint Improvised Threat
Defeat Agency
ARMY Research Lab
NAVEODTECHDIV
ARMY Asymmetric
Warfare Group
US Central Command
US Army EOD
US Air Force EOD
FBI Bomb Squad – SF
Alaska Airlines/American
Airlines
-Post-Incident
Reporting
-Development
of Reporting
App
Bridge - bridging the gap
between forward deployed
technicians and US remote
technicians
Incentivization –
gamification to
increase
likelihood of use
by partner
militaries
Reporting – a
richer data set
for JIDA’s mission
Engineers -
contractor/DARPA
employees may provide
technical insight
EOD Technicians – iterative
design process needs more
user input
JIDA SETAs
Host Nation
Forces
Better intel
JIDA
More raw data
Iterate - Multiple simulated
field test scenarios with
technicians to fit product to
need
Incorporation - product has
many possible futures - can
potentially be incorporated
into other DoD product needs
Primary
- JIDA
- Host Nation EOD
- People in IED-impacted
zones
Secondary
- Military remote technical
communications.
- Software can be co-
opted for many different
communications missions
Transportation Industry –
remote medical care
Fixed:
Software development
IT Management/maintenance
Deployment training
Mission Achievement Criteria
Enable clear, safe, common-sense communication of
time-sensitive high-stress technical information and
post-incident reporting and analysis dissemination
Week 3: Accurate high-volume post-
incident IED reporting
Variable:
Maintenance
Equipment retrofit
Equipment refurb

14. Week 4: What on Earth is actually
going on?
• We tried to work on a new product, but we couldn’t see
what was already there, not even an image.
• It was almost impossible to get the sponsor to connect us
with users of existing application
• Frustration as we couldn’t understand why the current
applications weren’t working and didn’t know what was
broken

15. Coalition EOD
Technicians
US POC
[JET]
[ONSITE]
FBI
[CONUS]
DOD EOD DATABASE
[CONUS]
JIDA DATABASE
[CONUS]
US AIR FORCE EOD
[CONUS]
US ARMY EOD
[CONUS]
US NAVY EOD
[CONUS]
[UNCLASS]
[UNCLASS]
[UNCLASS]
[FOUO
[S/TS]
Information flow, in an ideal world
(still valid)
[UNCLASS]
[FOUO]
[S/TS]
[UNCLASS
FOUO
S/TS] [UNCLASS
FOUO
S/TS]

16. INTERNET
AFGHAN NETS
SIPRnet
NIPRnet
DOD
(DISA)
APAN
DOD
(NGA)
PiX
DOD (DISA)
APAN
AF RONNA
SharePoint 2010
BASEER
NIMS
CIDNE
RED DOT
DAIIS
PORTALS
HERMES
Open Source
Program
CDC
Dissemination
Program
Dept. of Army Intelligence Information
System
Smartphone
Web Browser
PiX Android/iOS
Apps
INDURE Android
View/Report App
INDURE Android
View/Report App
JIDA Hybrid
Reporting App
SOCCENT ATAK
Tactical Ops App
PiX SMS
PiX WIKI
Mediated WIKI
INDURE API
IRAQ/Other Nets
Collaboration Portal
Zimbra/Sharepoint 2007
FOUO/SBU
INDURE
Reporting/DB
GPS
Mapping

17. Virtual Threat Toolkit:
Value Proposition Canvas for
JIDA J3 (JET Team)
Analysis of
organizational
strategies and
best practices
to work with
host nation
forces
- Increased ability to incorporate
HYBRID app and into host nation
EOD forces for higher fidelity
intelligence
Customer
Jobs
Enhance host
nation EOD
technicians
Inadequate
host nation use
of HYBRID
application
Joint Expeditionary Team
Gains
Pains
Gain
Creators
Pain
Relievers
Better situational
awareness & IED
reporting in conflict
zones
- -Less likely to encounter
IEDs without being
forewarned
- -Creating better working
relationships between US
and host nation forces
Products &
Services

18. Week 5: No Need for Another App
“Yeah, we don’t see anything really wrong with HYBRID -- it’s not at all a
bad application.”
- JIDA JET Team
“Can’t hand out Samsung tablets like candy.”
- JIDA JET Team
At this point, we were
questioning our relevance to
our sponsor.

19. Joint Improvised Threat
Defeat Agency
ARMY Research Lab
NAVEODTECHDIV
ARMY Asymmetric Warfare
Group
US Central Command
US Army EOD
US Air Force EOD
FBI Bomb Squad – SF
Defense Threat Reduction
Agency
Palo Alto Police
Department
Post-Incident Reporting
- Ensuring high volumes
of detailed IED reporting
data
- Host nation forces
continue to develop
scalable intel reporting
Bridging Gap -
between IED intel
collection and
analysis
Alignment of
Incentives and
Improved
Reporting
Information sharing
and redundancy
elimination
EOD Technicians – iterative design
process needs more user input
JIDA JET-
Insights regarding
deployment of
HYBRID
Host Nation Forces
- NEED: intel, interest
- HOW: Incentivize
- SABOTEURS: why help?
JIDA
- NEED: increased reporting
- HOW: incentivizing
coalition forces
- SABOTEURS: Over-classification,
inertia
JIDA would benefit
from changes to
workflow and
implementation
strategies
Primary
- JIDA (Matt, Carrie,
James)
- EOD (Ike, Ethan,
Christine, Whitner,
especially J2
(Intelligence) and J5
(Strategic Plans and
Policy)
- Host Nation EOD (Sgt.
Bashir)
- Other coalition forces
(Romania, Georgia,
Bulgaria: no contacts)
- Other entities such as
FBI (Sean)
- Palo Alto Police
Department
Fixed:
Software redevelopment
IT Management/maintenance
Deployment retraining
Mission Achievement Criteria
Enable clear, common-sense communication of
accurate actionable intel and post-incident reporting
and analysis dissemination.
Week 6: Accurate high-volume post-incident
IED reporting
Variable:
Maintenance
Equipment retrofit
Equipment refurb
[Full Names Redacted For Privacy]

20. Week 6: A New Approach
We discovered we needed a two-part
solution:
- Integrating existing technologies
- Helping our sponsors modify their
organization to better develop and deploy
technologies

21. Customer Discovery, getting out
of the building, and getting
people in one room showed us
that under 15% of existing
systems were relevant.

22. INTERNET
AFGHAN NETS
SIPRnet
NIPRnet
DOD
(DISA)
APAN
DOD
(NGA)
PiX
DOD (DISA)
APAN
AF RONNA
SharePoint 2010
BASEER
NIMS
CIDNE
RED DOT
DAIIS
PORTALS
HERMES
Open Source
Program
CDC
Dissemination
Program
Dept. of Army Intelligence Information
System
Smartphone
Web Browser
PiX Android/iOS
Apps
INDURE Android
View/Report App
INDURE Android
View/Report App
JIDA Hybrid
Reporting App
SOCCENT ATAK
Tactical Ops App
PiX SMS
PiX WIKI
Mediated WIKI
INDURE API
IRAQ/Other Nets
Collaboration Portal
Zimbra/Sharepoint 2007
FOUO/SBU
INDURE
Reporting/DB
GPS
Mapping
Week 6: [RELEVANT] Customer
Workflow

23. [UNCLASS]
JIDA DB
PIX/INDURE APP
HYBRID APP
INDURE
DB
[UNCLASS]
[FOUO]
[S/TS]
[UNCLASS]
HYBRID
Enhanced
deployment
via improved
host nation
partnerships
Concerted
campaign to
promote
importance
of reporting
to leadership

24. Products
& Services
Enhanced
development
of systems that
facilitate IED
reporting
- Development of products relevant
to mission that actively catalyze
increased intel gathering
- Products that are easily pitched to
Host Nation
Customer
Jobs
Produce tech
for intel
reporting
Lack of
communication
regarding pains
between field and
state based JIDA
Gains
Pains
Gain
Creators
Pain
Relievers
Improved relations with
Host Nation forces
Useful products to give
to Host Nation
Development of system
that not only overcomes
in-theater technical
challenges, but also helps
incentivize reporting
Week 7:
Value Proposition Canvas for
JIDA J6 (IT & Communications)

25. Week 7 Onwards: Organizational
Learning
• We developed insights regarding the existing
solutions and how they connected (or didn’t)
• We diagrammed the ideal information workflow
• We also discovered JIDA’s internal structure
This enabled us to provide recommendations to
improve existing solutions and their deployment

26. Operational
Requirements
[MVP]
Technical
Specifications for
Solution

27. Organizational
analysis
enabling higher-
fidelity post-
incident EOD
analytics and
reporting
- -Development process that “fails fast
and fails often” and developers that
are “proximate” to the problem,
ideally developing with a team
member with experience in theater
- -Emphasis on needs-based
development Customer
Jobs
Oversee
improvement
of Hybrid
JIDA units
operate in
“silos” and lack
adequate joint
communication
Gains
Pains
Gain
Creators
Pain
Relievers
Product that satisfies
needs of various other
JIDA parts, while also
achieving mission
Meetings involve
representative from all
parties related to problem --
dynamic engineering and
rapid prototyping accounts
for all parties’ input
Virtual Threat Toolkit:
Value Proposition Canvas for
JIDA J8
Services

28. Joint Improvised Threat
Defeat Agency
Specifically:
J2 Intelligence
J3 Operations
J8 Acquisitions
DIUx
Booz Allen Hamilton
US Central Command
US Army EOD
US Air Force EOD
Defense Threat Reduction
Agency
ARMY Research Lab
NAVEODTECHDIV
FBI Bomb Squad – SF
ARMY Asymmetric Warfare
Group
1. Tech integration
2. Deployment
process revamp
3. Smarter
Development
Bridge - bridging the gap
between IED collection
capabilities and analysis
Make Using Hybrid more
attractive
High-speed intelligence
allows for same-day
incident analysis
Improved Reporting – a
richer data set for JIDA’s
analysis
Improved, targeted
deployment strategy for
HYBRID
Existing technical solutions and
technical staff (J6) within JIDA
DIUx support in
establishing forward-
deployed team
JIDA JET TEAM -
Insights regarding deployment of
HYBRID
Host Nation Forces
- NEED: intel, interest
- HOW: Incentivize
- SABOTEURS: why help?
JIDA
- NEED: increased reporting
- HOW: incentivizing
coalition forces
- SABOTEURS:
Bureaucratic Dissonance
Team to address reporting
problem in place
-JIDA would benefit from an
organizational process MVP
outlining potential changes to
workflow and implementation
- Get all stakeholders in a
room to ensure all parties are
in sync
Primary
- JIDA(J2
(Intelligence)) and
J8 (Acquisitions))
-IT &
Communications
JIDA (J6)
- JET Team (J3)
- Host Nation EOD
Fixed:
Overhead
IT
Management/maintenance
Mission Achievement Criteria
Enable clear, common-sense communication of
accurate actionable intel and post-incident reporting
and analysis dissemination.
Accurate high-volume post-incident IED
reporting: Week 8
Variable:
$253,000 for 3 month
consulting & development
project

29. Final Hypotheses for JIDA
Hypothesis: JIDA requires greater inter-
divisional communication (between J
branches) to facilitate the development
of effective technical solutions
Hypothesis: Current technical solutions,
if combined, will provide a solution of
equal quality to standalone development
in a shorter timeframe
Hypothesis: Targeted deployment of
HYBRID focusing on units with superior
ethos of service in provinces with more
IEDs and less militancy will gain more
buy-in for HYBRID.

30. 1. Tech integration
2. Deployment process
revamp
3. Smarter development
● Refining technical
recommendations
(combining Hybrid
& Indure, SMS
capability)
● Ensuring features
added to Hybrid
are relevant and
targeted
● Solidifying process
solutions (best
organizational structure
practices focusing on
information flow &
incentivization)
● Further consultation with
JIDA on bureaucratic
obstacles and key
stakeholders for
implementation
● Gain JET team
perspective for optimal
deployment based on
realities on the ground
(given alternate
perspective from JIDA
● Implement lean
software development
model that is agile +
iterative
Week 8: Critical Activities
Validation from JIDA:
•JIDA independently reached many of the same hypotheses via their work with BMNT
• We gained significant credibility with JIDA by this point and it was satisfying

31. Week 9: Strategy of On-going Consultation
Cost Flow Diagram (T&M)
Back-End Android
Developer: SQL: (2x)
$58/hour
Project Manager:
$53/hour
Consultant (2x):
$58/hour
Front End Mobile
Developer: Android:
$58/hour
UI/UX Developer:
$58/hour
Variable Costs
(Labor)
Overhead Cost:
$1000/month
Airfare of
$1000/employee sent
for deployment analysis
in Iraq/Afghanistan
Indirect Costs:
Insurance, etc.
$40/month/employee
$/hour+13.5
% FICA + 9%
profit
margin
USD
253,000
Quotable T&M
Hourly Rate of $75
to include all
expenses

32. IRL 1
IRL 4
IRL 3
IRL 2
IRL 7
IRL 6
IRL 5
IRL 8
IRL 9
First pass on MMC w/Problem Sponsor
Complete ecosystem analysis petal diagram
Validate mission achievement (Right side of canvas)
Problem validated through initial interviews
Prototype low-fidelity Minimum Viable Product
Value proposition/mission fit (Value Proposition Canvas)
Validate resource strategy (Left side of canvas)
Prototype high-fidelity Minimum Viable Product
Establish mission achievement metrics that matter
Post H4D Course Actions
Discussing consultant
project with JIDA and Booz
Allen to optimize
implementation of
recommendations
Catalyze a potential
partnership between JIDA
and DIUx in the works for a
funded expeditionary team
to analyze deployment of
HYBRID
Week 10: Final Assessment - IRL 6

34. Thank you
● JIDA team
● H4D TA Team
● EOD Officers
● AWG Personnel
● SF FBI Bomb Squad
● Palo Alto Police Department
● US Army
● US Navy
● US Airforce
● Corporate partners
● Host nation forces